Wahweap Formation, Sedimentary rock formation in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah and Arizona, United States.
The Wahweap Formation is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that extends across southern Utah and northern Arizona. It displays characteristic cliffs and slopes formed by different types of rock stacked on top of each other.
The layers formed during the Late Cretaceous period and preserve fossil remains of dinosaurs and early mammals. These deposits document a time when this region was an active center of sediment accumulation.
Paleontologists and geologists from multiple research institutions conduct regular field studies to document the formation's rich collection of prehistoric life forms.
The formation is accessible through marked trails in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, with basic gear useful for field observation. Visitors should be prepared for unpredictable weather and rough terrain in this desert area.
The formation has preserved thousands of snail shell fossils, which are rarely found at such sites. Several dinosaur species were also discovered here that were unknown anywhere else.
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